CJ “How to play the Big 4 Chords on Guitar”

Cj and I met just last year. He had recently been assigned as the new associate editor at the magazine and I was desperate for him to be really good at his job. It was April of 2014 and four months before your birthday, Sebastian.

And somehow, I had to put out issue 7.

Having never had a baby before, but plenty experience at a magazine, I figured the best way to ensure that this would be possible was by leveraging the talents of my team, so I was really hoping that the new associate editor–a role I rely upon heavily even in normal circumstances–would be up to the job.

Upon first meeting, Cj seemed really promising. He was well-spoken and unconventional, his ideas were courageous and exciting and, perhaps most convincingly, he had a tattoo of Hemingway on his left forearm. I suspected I could teach him some stuff and perhaps he’d teach me a thing or two as well.

It was a hell of a ride. Having a baby, Sebastian, is no joke. It’s not easy to work simultaneously at a job where people are relying on you and there are real deadlines in place, because a BABY is also relying on you and he needs you around the clock. His deadlines are RT.

And at the end of the day, I love my work, but you are my life. You came first every time.

So thank god for Cj. He really pulled it together with little instruction and a lot of faith. And it wasn’t all bad–we met one night at my place to work on ‘Tech’ and it was an amazing sesh. We ate pizza and jam-wrote the whole section in a series of back and forth debates, storytelling and over much laughter. It’s lovely to write alongside a keen mind–particularly one that aligns well with your own.

   The success of Issue 7 has been  phenomenal. I guess we must have  done something right because the  accolades are flying and Cj’s come  back for issue 8. My hopes are a lot  higher going into this project. Though  you’re bigger now, you still need a lot  of attention–possibly even more–but  we’ve done it once. We know what to  expect, though are far from expert.

Like Hemingway, Cj is something of  a renaissance man, though I’ve always  secretly believed that any great person  must be a master of all trades–  particularly in this era. And he’s beat your Auntie Hill to teaching you your first guitar chords. Learn well, my darling. This is a skill that will feed your soul and give voice to your heart.